Having someone such as Penny, who has already indicated publicly that same-sex parenting rights are a priority for her, will be of great benefit to the community, Lobby co-convenor David Scamell told the Star.

The Lobby will be working quite closely with Penny as a key ally in parliament to ensure parenting reforms are carried out by this government.

Sharpe is expected to more fully outline her ambitions for gay and lesbian law reform in her maiden speech, due next month.

She said she would use any positions she gained on parliamentary committees to advocate for change.